Pope Leo XIV unleashed a particularly strong appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine on his weekly public prayer in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. He got to work addressing the worsening crisis of gun violence in the U.S. His comments follow last week’s tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. In that tragic incident, two children were killed and dozens more were severely injured. The Pope’s message highlighted the critical importance of a peaceful dialogue and a cessation of hostilities during a time of increasing global violence.
At the end of the Sunday prayer, the Pope paused to pray for the victims of the Minnesota shooting. He particularly recognized eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski, who died in this preventable accident. His heart goes out to the families — bilaterally. He committed the souls of the departed children to the mercy of Almighty God.
The perpetrator made a brutal assault on the church by shooting 116 rifle shots through the church’s stained glass windows. Tragically he then died by suicide. Besides the two who lost their lives, 18 people were injured at the time of the incident.
Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever US-born Pope, hailing from Chicago, upon taking his seat in Rome, delivered his address directly in English. He underscored the need to “wake up” to the “pandemic of arms, big and small.” To those who hold the power in this terrible affair, he called on them to abandon the reasoning of the gun. Instead, he urged them to adopt reconciliation and peacemaking, backed by the international community. In doing so, his comments were very much in line with the tentative and exploratory style of Pope Francis himself. In a 2015 speech before the U.S. Congress, the Pope condemned gun manufacturers as “merchants of death.”
The Pope’s visit drew attention not just to the ongoing international conflicts, but to domestic issues here in the United States including gun control. And it was Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey who made headlines when he demanded action beyond “thoughts and prayers.” This terminology is often employed during political debates after mass shootings. We’re going to need more than pretty pictures and press releases. Real American lives depend on fighting gun violence at home.
He opened his week of appeal on Sunday by calling on the Ukrainian government and the insurgents in the east to truly commit to negotiations. He showed us that peace should come before war.
Pope Leo XIV was at first reluctant to take a political stance on the Minnesota police shooting. Instead, he wired a deeply personal telegram, in which he lamented and mourned what he termed as a “greater calamity cause.” From international conflict to the scourge of gun violence in our own communities, his evolving stance undoubtedly reflects a growing urgency for action.